Welcome to CAN BE!

CAN BE (the Community Association for New Business Entrepreneurship) operates Greater Hazleton’s business incubator, the Greater Hazleton Business Innovation Center, in Valmont Industrial Park.The incubator program’s main goal is to help entrepreneurs grow new ventures in the Hazleton area.CAN BE’s incubator is located in a Pennsylvania Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), which means that businesses locating in CAN BE’s incubator can receive resellable tax credits and are eligible for special benefits, including low-interest financing through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority.The incubator provides many helpful services for new businesses, including expert business advice, peer networking, flexible lease space and shared office services and equipment.CAN BE’s incubator is the perfect place for those who are launching a new business, expanding a small home-based business or creating a spin-off venture from an existing venture.

What is a business incubator?Incubators nurture new businesses, helping them grow during their initial start-up period, a time when they are most vulnerable and need the most support. Incubator programs such as CAN BE provide business advice, access to financing and exposure to business and technical support services. Statistics show that while 66 percent of all businesses fail within their first five years, 87 percent of businesses in an incubator are still operating after the same five-year period.